Virginia Hayes and Dean Fine died in the cold, in two different cities, within the same hour Thursday.

According to the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office, hypothermia was the cause of death in each instance.

Another medical factor -- dementia -- may have been another contributing factor in the deaths of the Farmington Hills man and the Brandon Township woman.

Brandon Township woman

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Hayes, 83, walked away from her home on the 3900 block of Oakwood. According to family members, she was last seen the previous night at 6 p.m. getting ready for bed, said Oakland County deputies.

"I guess she got dressed, went down the stairs and walked over to the neighbors'," said her son, Paul Hayes.

A home security surveillance video at a neighbor's home revealed that Hayes -- who Paul said suffered from dementia -- walked towards the house sometime around 6:25 a.m. in the snow. Hayes had never left the home like that before, said her son.

The video feed showed that the woman walked up to the porch area and sat on the steps of the neighbor's house, according to Brandon Township Sgt. Pete Burkett. By daylight, she could be seen laying lifeless in front of the steps, he said. She was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m.

Deputies found the Hayes' coat 50 feet from her body.

"She had been taking her clothes off," Burkett said.

Paradoxical undressing is a term closely tied to hypothermia, said Henry Ford Hospital's Jawad Arshad, M.D.

"A person will get so confused that they will have absolutely no idea what they are doing," said Arshad. "This happens during the final stages of hypothermia."

Arshad, service chief for emergency medicine services at Henry Ford's West Bloomfield location, has seen many similar cases.

He said he can't imagine anyone being out in single-digit temperatures for more that 10 minutes without seeing the beginning stages of hypothermia.

According to witnesses, Fine had several health issues, including Alzheimer's, dementia and a heart condition.

When it comes to hypothermia, it all depends on the environment, said Nirmal Nandakumar, attending emergency room physician at Rochester Hills' Crittenton Hospital Medical.

"Whenever there's a winter advisory, it's best to stay inside," he said.

"Elderly are probably the highest risk and then infants and people with underlying diseases," he said. "Their heart is not as strong, their cardiac output is not as good as younger people. They're not able to keep warm."

"We did talk to several different people at the home," said Koen about Fine's death. "We are continuing to investigate the situation."

According to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), Farmington Hills' Detroit Baptist Manor is a federally funded Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) property that it oversees.

Spokeswoman Katie Bach said HUD contracts with MSHDA under a performance based contract administration.

"That means HUD contracts with the authority to oversee several core tasks within the property," Bach said. "That includes making sure the property is maintaining safe, decent and affordable housing standards."

Bach said she was unsure if the property had been given any citations in the past, but MSHDA's policy is to not provide information on its properties, unless it is through a Freedom of Information Act request.

She provided a briefing of MSHDA's roles as overseer of the Detroit Baptist Manor facility: "Typically what we do includes doing site visits, processing monthly vouchers, contract renewals responding to health and safety issues and resident concerns at any given time."

Coats Funeral Home in Ortonville will be handling Hayes' cremation. Fine's funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized, according to death investigators.

Shannon Coughlin contributed to this report. Contact staff writer John Turk at 248-745-4613 or john.turk@oakpress.com.